Fragments of Demise
by Arrowwood15
Summary: Despite the efforts of dozens of heroes across thousands of years, evil continues to linger in Hyrule. The gods have decided that it must be tracked to its source for the sake of the continued survival of its residents. Unfortunately, their grand prophecy comes into fruition a bit too late, and some last-minute adjustments have to be made. But hey, these things happen.
1. Chapter 1

**[Author's Note: Hi! This story is entirely OC-based, which is why it's taken me a couple of years to fully develop. It's my own story with my own characters using the context and ideas of Nintendo's Zelda, and obviously, not everyone's into that, which I definitely understand. If you aren't, I really recommend clicking away now. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!]**

I woke up to a lizard sitting on the middle of my chest, staring at me with beady little eyes filled with malice and hate. I think it was a hearty lizard, one you could cook to make you more resilient to...well, anything. Funny how that works.

It did not, however, look particularly appetizing to me. I let out a noise somewhere between a shriek and a dogs yelp. The next thing that lizard knew, it was being flung out the window into a soggy patch of dirt.

Great way to start a day. I mean, lizards are better than spiders, I guess. I violently slammed the window shut, as a last bit of spite to the unfortunate thing that had probably crawled in overnight. I really wanted to go back to sleep, but unfortunately for me, the adrenaline and the sunlight had already wiped it from my eyes, and now I was just left emptily yawning and staring around my room, seeing if there was anything else wanting a taste of the good old frantic toss.

Fortunately, it seemed my lizard buddy was alone this time. The wooden floorboards creaked beneath my bare feet as I collected my shirt and pants from their bundle on the floor. I'd be lying if I said they smelled good.

I finished up putting on my boots and took a moment to admire myself in the mirror. Hylian fashion had definitely evolved, and maybe not for the better. Tucked in shirts with a simple bit of lace to tie around the neck. And, of course, itchy brown pants stuffed into tight black boots. In my case, there was also a worn leather chest plate and a thick belt.

Not exactly appropriate for someone who spends their days hauling buckets of dead fish, but what can I say? It certainly makes me look nicer.

I opened the door to my room with a soft _click, _and stepped into the main area of the house. My home was simple- a lower level with a smallish bedroom near the entrance, and an upstairs with one more room. My parents'. We had everything a standard family could need- a dining table, covered with a fancy tablecloth and potted flowers in order to hide the wear and tear of decades of abuse. A small storage area under the stairs, containing years' worth of dusty old boxes and entire bloodlines of rats, and a little kitchen with a window overlooking the stove. Normally, my father would be in there, making breakfast of- surprise, surprise- fish.

I got up a bit earlier than normal, though, so the house was completely silent. I had sir lizard to thank for that.

After digging around in the cupboard for a minute to find my rubber band, I carefully left the house, avoiding the large, treacherous pool of mud that had developed just to the right of the front door.

It's not like I could avoid the constant wetness of everything around me, though. The best way to describe Deya Village was _soggy._

Some idiot three hundred years ago thought it was a wonderful idea to construct a village in a low valley, completely surrounded by tall, grassy hills, right next to a small body of water, appropriately named Lake Deya. It was about five feet deep at its lowest points, and most of it didn't even come up to your knees. However, with even the slightest bit of rain, it would flood, covering everything with at least six inches of water.

Because of that, nothing in the town seemed at all permanent. The oldest thing was the well, an overgrown, half-collapsed structure held together by mold and determination. It was the closest thing to a landmark we had.

Deya, among many others, had been completely wiped out in the Calamity two hundred-odd years ago, and then rebuilt a while later. Then it was destroyed again, in a particularly bad storm. I was only a baby at the time. And then, within the last year, an earthquake knocked down many of the buildings _and_ flooded the place.

Despite it all, the ten people who still lived here always came out of their hiding spots, picked up the pieces, and haphazardly put their lives together again. The Royal Family had more important things to do than help out a tiny fishing village that any logical person would've abandoned years ago, so everyone pooled together to survive and remake the whole town. It was…. Inspiring. If a bit insane.

A bunch of villagers would never be able to fix it permanently, though. And it seemed that every day, the whole town sunk further into the mud.

Speaking of mud, the only way to really avoid it was to carefully stay on what was left of the stone paths. The kids often made it into a game- try to cross the vast distances between paving stones with a single step. Most of the time, it didn't work, which resulted in a mess and a lot of fun. I'd never admit it if you asked, but I had started playing that same game with myself as I wandered aimlessly between buildings.

The best fish in Lake Deya were caught at night, so the fishermen wouldn't even be back for another hour or so. The sun was just barely cresting the tops of the hills, so the whole valley appeared to be in shadow, even below the pale blue, empty sky. My favorite time of day! Peaceful. Plenty of room to think without anyone telling you you're wrong.

That's not to say I was motivated to actually get _up _this early very often, though. Quiet is not worth losing an hour of sleep.

I passed by a small group of children, rare and elusive creatures capable of getting up this early for fun. Tifa and I used to play a game with muddy sticks when we were little, pretending that one of us was a monster and the other was some grand adventurer we created on the spot. There would be an epic struggle, but then the monster would always end up with a stick clutched between their armpit and their ribs, writhing in agony and utterly defeated.

Usually, I made him be the monster. Sorry, Tifa.

We both invented fantasies for ourselves, of saving Princess Zeneya from the clutches of evil, of vanquishing the dark lord with the power of light. Tifa grew out of that phase, though, and sort of settled into a very boring career of sitting at a table and scribbling down the numbers of fish and Rupees going in and out of Deya every day. It seemed he was almost made for it- his dark hair keeping the sun from glinting off his glasses as it hung around his face like a curtain, his small, pinched eyes always so unwaveringly focused. Apparently, he enjoyed it, even though I never wanted to believe him.

I mean, it was stable. If he kept it up, he'd be able to move him and his girlfriend to Castle Town. Maybe even work for the Royal Family.

Meanwhile, _I'd _be saving the village from evil at every turn, raising my blade against the forces of darkness and…

...well. You see my point.

Why settle for something so awful when there's a chance, however small, that you could be something great?

There was a _chance _that I could be chosen for some grand destiny. A very small chance, but… it's still better than nothing, right? Better than pretending to be happy for the sake of people you don't really care about. Better than dying forgotten in a sinking village, having your corpse buried with the fish.

Surely something like that was worth believing in.

But then again, I was coming up on my 19th birthday, and so far, no luck. Maybe it would be smart to settle down. I could get Tifa to put in a good word for me in Castle Town. I could be a guard or something. Even if it didn't make me happy, at least it was real.

Ugh. Early morning existential dread isn't as fun as it sounds. My heart sunk in my chest as I kept thinking around in circles, staring at my feet.

I barely noticed I had stepped onto the dock until I heard the loud creaking of wood beneath me. I jumped a little and looked up. That was the lake, alright. A cool, wet breeze blew across my face. Looking out, I could see a boat, encrusted with years of slime but somehow still held together, slowly drifting towards the shore. Teloni. Probably the least glamorous captain in the history of Hyrule, but definitely among the most beloved.

She had been working here in Deya for at least forty years, longer than my parents have even been _alive. _Apparently, in her younger days, she had been a dancer. I'm sure there were all kinds of stories about those days that I'd get fired for telling. Technically, I worked for her. So did most of the other kids, including Tifa. It was sort of like sharing a grandmother with everyone.

After what seemed like forever, the boat slowed to a stop next to me. Despite her age, Teloni had little trouble tossing out the "gangplank," which really was just a longish piece of wood with a fancy name.

The smell of fish hovers over Deya and its residents like a shadow. You get used to it. But even after years of working with them and even more years of living here, I could never keep a straight face when I would be hit daily with a wave of it, from just a few buckets neatly stacked on the deck.

I grimaced slightly as I climbed onto the boat, feeling it sway slightly beneath my weight. Teloni flashed me a bright, warm smile. She was a Gerudo, towering an entire head above me. Her skin was dark, her features sharp and hawkish. Despite having left her home years ago, she still seemed to radiate the intense heat and dryness of the desert. I guess you never really forget living in a place like that.

Smiling politely back, I approached the buckets and picked one up with both hands. It was filled to the brim with, you guessed it, fish, all about the size of my hands put together, with bright blue scales that glowed in the dark. They were pretty much the only things living in Deya lake. Everyone just assumed that they outlasted all other species, and I could definitely see why. The little things were _tough- _one or two were even still twitching. I flinched and looked away.

Two other workers, both about my age, were tiredly carrying out a process that probably had to do with making the boat stay still- I'm not even gonna pretend to know that much about it. I just carry fish, man.

Barra and Bato were their names. The only twins born into Deya in, like, a thousand years, and it came at the cost of their mother's life. They were practically indistinguishable from the neck up- both with round, babyish faces, dark eyes, and black hair that coiled up like springs. Beyond that, Barra was tall with biceps the size of my head and Bato was shorter than me and rather heavyset. They always worked hard, though, in a kind of silent tandem that creeped people out.

It took me a few trips from the boat to the shore until all the crates were unloaded. By then, Teloni was already settling down on a low wall nearby and counting out Rupees from her generously-sized bag, and the sun had made its climb about halfway up the sky. I set down the final crate and wiped the slime onto my pants, wrinkling my nose a bit in disgust.

"That's very good, dear," Teloni said as she approached me, handing me a bright red Rupee that glistened in the sun as I slipped it into my pouch. "Tifa will handle transportation. You know the drill."

I nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

She responded with another small smile and turned on her heel, business concluded. Her house was the closest to the lake, a squat little thing with a Gerudo banner hung near the door that seemed to be on the verge of slipping into the mud completely.

"Nobody likes a suck-up," Bato muttered to me as he passed, shooting me a glare with beady little eyes.

"Shut up," I snapped back, shouldering past him and walking in the opposite direction, back to my home.

"Or what?" He said, making me stop in my tracks and clench my fists. Every muscle in my body was screaming at me to turn around and show him what he deserved. That's not at _all _what I should do, though. I should just keep walking, and ignore him until he stops.

"What, you're scared of me? I thought you were supposed to be the Hero of Hyrule, right?" His words played in my head like a log thrown on a fire. I whipped around, staring him down. Barra was standing a few feet behind Bato, glancing between us.

"I'm not scared of you," I replied, as calmly as I could. Apparently, he could hear the shakiness in my voice, because he immediately started up again, a grin spreading on his face.

"Yeah? I don't believe you. And neither does anyone else."

I started to back up, forcing my body to work against its instincts. The mud made horrible popping noises beneath my feet as I moved. Bato never took his eyes off me as I started to leave, scrambling away towards where the ground begins to slope up, and not stopping until I had breached the top of the hill and settled down in the grass, hurriedly wiping my eyes.

It's not like it was a new thing. I could deal with words. I _had _to deal with words, while working with him. He wasn't creative, he just said the same few things over and over again every time he got the chance.

From my spot on the hill, I could see out onto the road. To the south was a small forest. Not much to see, but the kids loved to play there. To the north, though, was Hyrule field and, by extension, the castle. If you stood up and squinted, you could just make out tall towers jutting into the sky like giant claws. You could even see the Twin Peaks looming in the distance, perfectly set against a foreground of rolling hills and lakes.

I sniffled, brushing a piece of filthy hair out of my eyes. I figured if I made my cloud of misery big enough, someone would come find me.

I'm not sure how long I stayed there. On that day, Bato's words struck a very particular chord, and it hurt more than usual. It really doesn't take much to plant doubt in my mind, I guess.

But sure enough, after a while, I heard a familiar voice huffing and puffing as he came up the hill behind me.

I barely looked at Tifa, only giving him a grunt of acknowledgement and pulling my knees to my chest. He sat down next to me, still panting softly, and I finally looked sideways through my hair.

I used to be much bigger than him, but through the years he had grown to be pretty tall, close to Teloni. He had been trying to grow a beard since he was 14, but all he could manage was a shadow of scruffy brown hair that matched the mop resting on his head. His eyes were black, big ol windows into everything he was thinking.

"Hey," He said. I hated when he did this- talked to me like I was a scared horse. But I'd also be lying if I said it didn't have the same effect- his voice was rather low and very smooth. He always sounded like he was talking from another room, even when he was right next to you.

"Hi," I grumbled back.

"Sheldie saw you run off. She sent me to check on you."

"Well, that's nice of her."

"Yeah, it is. You okay?"

"Fine."

Tifa sighed quietly and scootched a little bit closer to me. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"Alright then. Well, why don't we talk about this instead." He turned to face me and held out something wrapped in thick cloth. I could see water dripping through it from whatever was inside. I sat up and frowned at it for a moment, before tentatively taking it from him and unwrapping it.

It was a sword, surprisingly light in my arms. I blinked a few times. Though encrusted with dirt and sludge, the blade still shone an unnatural white when I carefully wiped some of it away. Beyond the obvious dirtiness, it didn't appear to have suffered any damage from being underwater. The intricate drawings on the leather grip were perfect, as though they had been made a day ago. Fused to the middle of the pommel was a green gem, sparkling in the sun. The crossguard was beautiful, though probably not very effective- metal carved in the shape of wings reaching out like they were taking flight.

I finally tore my eyes off it and looked up at Tifa. "What is this?"

"I'm not sure. I found it at the bottom of one of the crates. It must've come up in the net." Even he seemed to be having trouble looking at me- the sword was prettier than anything either of us has ever owned.

"Maybe someone dropped it?" I tossed aside the cloth and turned the blade around in the sun. Usually, blacksmiths had a signature or something that they would imprint on whatever they made.

"Linia, look at it. It's obviously enchanted. How many sorcerers live in Deya?"

"Well…." I chewed on my lip, gingerly touching my finger to the point. I felt a sharp sting, and a little bit of blood welled up. "What do we do with it?"

"I don't know, that's why I was asking you!" Tifa pulled on a strand of his hair. A nervous tic, one he'd had forever.

"We could sell it," I suggested, standing up and giving it a few swings. It cut through the air in a flash of light. It was very well made- definitely not a traveler's sword. I'd never used a weapon in my life, and it felt natural in my hands. This was something a member of the Royal Family would have and never actually have to use. Something to put on a shelf and admire.

"No, we don't know what kind of enchantments are on it." Tifa brushed me off, waving his hand. "It could damn them forever, or even worse, it could be really powerful and end up in the hands of some thief."

"What if I took it to Castle Town?" I said, looking over at him and raising my eyebrows. "I'm sure I could find a sorcerer there, get it appraised. Then I could return it to whoever it belongs to."

"That might work," He mused. "You're sure it's worth it, though? I mean, that's a day or two's walk, and Central Hyrule isn't exactly safe."

"People travel there all the time, it shouldn't be that hard. Besides, whoever owns this can definitely afford to pay up for its return." I grinned at him and tapped him on the chest with the flat part of the blade. "I'll leave tomorrow."

He sighed. "Thank you."

"Yeah, don't worry about it. It's way more important that you be here. In exchange, though, _you'll _have to explain to Teloni why I didn't show up for work."

He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Fine, fair enough."

I stuffed the blade of the sword underneath my belt and tightened it so it would stay put. Not exactly safe, but hey. Probably better than running with a deadly weapon. "Don't you worry your pretty little head, Tifa," I said, patting him on the shoulder. "I'll take care of it. Tell Sheldie thank you for me."

"I will." He smiled at me. "I'd better get back to work."

"Yeah, I'd better get packing." I dusted myself off and started to hike back over the hill. Tifa followed behind me, and we walked in silence together until we hit the mud.

"Good luck," Tifa murmured.

"Thanks." I gave him my best reassuring smile, then turned and jogged across the town as quickly as possible. I did _not _want to deal with Bato again. The sword clanked loudly at my side, smacking against my leg the entire way back to my house. I threw open the door and stepped inside, tracking another layer of dirt onto the floor.

My mother looked up at me from the kitchen. She was a short, wide woman with an upturned nose and blonde hair much like mine, worn thin with age and usually pulled up into a tight bun. Her lips seemed to be always pursed, as though she had eaten a lemon. She frowned at the sword and jerked her chin at it. "What's that you've got there?"

"Tifa found it in the lake. I'm gonna take it up to Castle Town tomorrow, see if I can sell it."

"Hm." She turned back to the pot on the stove, idly stirring it. "Seems a bit unnecessary to go all that way, doesn't it? Maybe you could just give it to the folks who ship the fish. They head up there at the end of the week, right?"

"Yeah, well…" I pulled the sword out of my belt and set it on the table, before sitting down heavily on one of the chairs. What I didn't want to tell her was that I really wanted to hold on to my new, shiny thing for as long as possible. "We think it's enchanted, so it'd probably be safer for me to do it."

"Because you know more about enchantments than those men?" She raised a thin eyebrow at me.

"No, because…" I groaned. "I don't know, but it's not like I haven't run errands before! I'll be fine, Barra and Bato can carry around some fish for one day. I'll be fine."

"Alright, alright. I can't exactly forbid you from going." She sighed softly and tasted a spoonful of the soup before pouring in a bit of Goron Spice. Hard to get, but definitely worth keeping around for the taste. "Be safe, though."

"I will, don't worry." I yawned, stretching my arms towards the ceiling. "Where's dad, anyway?"

She winced, but from the neck down her body never changed. She didn't want me to notice. "He's… well, he's out at work today. Chopping wood and the like."

"Huh. I thought he had the day off?"

"He did, but…" She took a deep breath. I saw her fingers tighten on the ladle for a moment. "Zuro was killed yesterday. Disappeared sometime in the evening. They only found his corpse an hour or so ago. He's out working to get his mind off it."

"Oh." I stared at the sword on the table. I didn't know Zuro as anything other than a coworker to my dad. He had been a middle aged man, no children. His wife passed a few years back.

But a healthy person being killed, in the woods right outside of Deya? Monster attacks were unfortunately pretty common here, but generally, nothing wandered so close to civilization. Odd, but… I guess it's just a part of life.

"His funeral is tomorrow afternoon."

"I'll be missing it, then."

"Yes." My mother didn't take her eyes off the stove, even as I stood up and grabbed the sword. I could almost feel her burning a hole through everything in front of her. She was worried, and I could see why. Hyrule Castle was far away, but not far enough that they thought us worth sending soldiers to. If something decided to attack, it could be a full day before anyone arrived. We'd all be gone by then, and Deya would have to start up from the beginning again.

I took a deep breath and gripped the sword, keeping it pointed safely at the floor. "I'm gonna go pack."

She didn't respond, just gave me a tight nod. I slowly backed up and turned around, hastily opening the door to my room. I set the weapon down, leaning it against the wall, and sat on my bed.

I quietly undid the ponytail holding my hair back, letting it fall completely around my shoulders. It had already started to become unraveled during the course of the day, with only a few strands still tightly and painfully held in. I gave the blade a sharp glare as I settled down, lying flat and staring at the ceiling with my shoes still on.

Now that I was alone in a room with it, I was acutely aware of the fact that I had no idea what it really was. I mean, it was enchanted, but I didn't know who did it, or what _kinds _of things they might have done… I could be sitting in a room with a bomb and not even realize it until it was too late.

What a cheerful thought.

I sat up with a groan and rubbed my eyes. Napping could wait. I still had to pack a bag for tomorrow. Dragging my feet, I climbed out of bed and tried to push all thoughts of the sword out of my mind, instead focusing on trying to stuff as many containers of corn into my bag as possible. I put in my father's old hunting knife for safety, and a scarf in case it got cold in the middle of summer. I stared at it for a moment, contemplating asking my mother for advice on what to bring.

...eh. It was probably fine. I didn't need to overdo it for what would only be a day or two's trip. I set the bag down in the corner of the room, giving the sword a wide berth, and settled back down, pulling off my boots this time. If no one came to bother me, I could have the rest of the day off.

For some reason, several primal instincts in my body were telling me not to take my eyes off that thing. And I'll be honest, I really wanted to listen to them. But the warmness of my bed was far too inviting, and somehow even the leather constricting my chest started to feel comfortable as I drifted into a blissful, much-needed sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Normally, I'm not a very quick riser. Slow and steady wins the race, I say. But waking up two days in a row with things not at all the way they're supposed to be really puts a spring in even the most tired man's step.

The first thing I felt when I woke up was the fact that I was moving. My head was definitely bobbing up and down. That was odd, thought half-asleep me. Probably nothing, though. Maybe an earthquake.

The second thing I noticed was that I was very cold, and that I appeared to be laying on some sort of slick metal that was jabbing into my stomach specifically, squeezing my diaphragm and making it hard to breathe. Didn't appreciate that very much. There also seemed to be a lot of noise for my room. There was a familiar, surprisingly comforting sound of footsteps on dry dirt. _Crnch, crnnnch. _

I opened my eyes, slowly. It took about two seconds for the shape of a man's ass bouncing up and down right below me to come into focus, and about two more milliseconds for me to realize what happened.

I did the most logical thing I could think of and yelled as loud as I could, all of my senses waking up at once and overwhelming me with brand new stuff I was not prepared for, such as being immediately dumped onto the dirt.

As soon as I hit the ground, I was on my feet again and attempting to book it out of there as fast as I could. I was surprised at how fast I could run with the proper motivation. An unfamiliar voice called out after me as I went, but the wind whipped the noise away from my ears and I kept going without looking back.

Something appeared right in front of me. I tried to go around it on pure instinct, but it moved and I found myself slamming at top speed into what felt like a solid wall. I bounced off and hit the ground again, this time completely winded. My brain swam around in my skull, and a sort of dull pain flared through my entire body. I tried to get up again, still driven by adrenaline, only to fall back down and be rewarded with another wave of pain.

Instead, I scrambled away from my attacker, panting heavily and trying to force a scream out of my overworked lungs.

"I don't want to hurt you." It was the same unfamiliar voice. It was just before dawn, still incredibly dark, so I couldn't make out much beyond the general silhouette of the man hovering over me. I was starting to get my bearings again, though my vision was still struggling to recover. If I ran for it now, I might have a better chance of making it to help. Then again, nothing would be open at this hour, and I clearly couldn't see as well as he could…

"Stop it," he commanded. Now I was starting to notice things. His voice wasn't just unfamiliar. It sounded like something scraping on the inside of a hollow pipe- echoing and metallic. Great.

"Stay… away from me," I hissed, struggling to my feet and wiping spit from my mouth. He was only about half a foot taller than me, and not much bigger. Maybe I could take him.

"I don't like this either. Now, please, listen to me for a moment-" I ignored him and attempted to dart to his side and get around him. His arm snapped out faster than it should be able to, and I bounced off again with a _clang, _only stumbling back this time.

"What do you want?! Just take my money, you can have it," I snapped at him. Probably not a great idea to antagonize the supernatural entity that kidnapped you.

"I don't want your money. I want _you."_

My stomach dropped. Oh gods. All of the stories my parents told me about stranger danger came flooding back.

"Go. _Away," _I growled, as menacing as I could. The man slowly raised his hands. Despite being very muscular, he moved with all the grace of a cow. He was awkward. Stiff. But even so, I saw him move faster than my eye could track. Maybe I could get him off balance…

"I don't know how this looks to you. But your aggressive response is completely unnecessary."

"Oh!" I scoffed. "Great. Yeah. Cause this _looks _like you kidnapped me and dragged me off to some remote field to… to…" I trailed off. I was practically gasping for air at this point.

"I'm not going to hurt you. You were unconscious for hours. If I wanted to do something, I would have done it already." The tone of his voice held the calm aloofness of someone who felt that they were truly and completely in control. It reminded me of Tifa when he knew he was right and was just waiting to prove it, but this voice carried an undercurrent of real maliciousness that kept me on edge.

He did have a point, though. I didn't respond.

"I even brought along the bag you packed last night." He pulled something off of his shoulder and tossed it at me. I caught it against my chest and glanced down, feeling at the soft material. It was definitely my bag, and it seemed like everything was inside. I looked back up at him, trying to make out the features of his face.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked after a long moment.

"Castle Town," he replied. "We're somewhere on the eastern edge of Central Hyrule at the moment."

I glanced around me. Now that I had calmed down a little bit, I could make out fields of grass, faintly illuminated by the moonlight. The air felt… fresh, instead of soupy and thick like in Deya. The faintest smell of water met my nostrils in the breeze. There must've been a river or a lake somewhere nearby. And as far as I could remember, there _was _a river that ran along the side of Hyrule Field and looped up and around the northern edge, where the castle was. He was probably telling the truth.

"Why are you taking me to Castle Town?" I asked, as calmly as I could. He clearly wasn't having much of an emotional reaction to this. If evil spirits even had emotions to begin with. Maybe I could play his game, then.

"I can explain, if you stop lashing out."

"Fine. But you are not carrying me, and we are not moving until morning." He started to object, and I sat down heavily in the dirt, taking care to make a lot of noise, crossing my legs and getting comfortable.

"Fair enough." He apparently decided that I wasn't worth arguing with any longer. He sat down across from me with a lot of rough, scraping noises.

"Who are you, exactly? If you aren't a criminal, you shouldn't have a problem with telling me your name."

"Alo."

"Alo. Odd name. You must not be from around here." My eyes darted between him and the horizon. I needed to bide my time until morning or I'd never be able to get out of here.

"Technically, I am. Or rather, I was placed somewhere very close to your home."

I narrowed my eyes, despite knowing he wouldn't be able to see it. "So you're the sword, then."

"You figured it out. I'm impressed." Alo shifted his weight around. He still appeared only as a silhouette for the most part, but now I could make out some of the lines making up his face. He seemed to have at least two eyes and a nose. Always a good sign. "Well, you aren't completely right, but there's only so much one can expect from a human."

"Which you're not." I sucked in a deep breath, trying not to pounce on him and fit my hands around his neck. As satisfying as it would feel, a kid next to a corpse might not look good to passerby. If it worked in the first place.

"Correct."

I leaned forward, resting my chin in my hands. "If you're this open to telling me things, why couldn't you have just introduced yourself? As opposed to taking me from my home in the middle of the night."

He went silent for a few long seconds. "I thought it might disturb you less if I had a chance to converse with you before you saw my face."

"Well. It worked. I'm certainly way less freaked out now."

"Good. I was correct in my assumption, then."

Now it was my turn to pause for a few seconds to try and figure out if he was joking, or if he was just stupid. At the moment, I'd be fine with either conclusion. I decided the best response was a short, dry laugh. He stayed silent.

"Now you can explain where you're taking me, pal," I said.

He started talking almost before I had finished my sentence. "You need to meet with Princess Zeneya."

"Now wait a minute. You can't just _meet _with Princess Zeneya. What, I'm just supposed to walk up to her and ask her about her day?"

"No. You'll need to sneak in."

"Sneak into Hyrule Castle." I snorted. "If you want to kill me, just do it now."

"Once you speak with her, she'll understand. I'm sure you'll be pardoned for your crimes." His voice wavered slightly. I could have been imagining it, though.

"For someone who lives in a lake, you seem awfully sure about how this is going to go down. No offense, but I'm not gonna go become a fugitive for you." I stretched, glancing at the sun finally beginning to rise. "I was heading to Castle Town anyways. I'm gonna give you back to the Royal Family, and they'll lock you away where you can't hurt anyone."

I stood up, and he did the same, taking a step closer to me. I felt something cold, like a shackle, close around my arm. I tried to yank it free, but he wouldn't budge. "You can't do that." He spoke slowly and deliberately. "Don't you understand? This is bigger than you. Get over yourself and do as you're told, or we're both going to die."

I went silent. I swallowed the heart that was beating up my throat and tried to steady myself. "Okay, okay. Let go of me."

Alo stepped back, making a low noise that I assumed was him clearing his throat. I gingerly rubbed my arm and stared at it while I blinked back tears.

The sun had just come up over the horizon. I could make out the visible red mark his hand had left, and upon looking up, I was able to see him for the first time.

No wonder he had caused so much damage without hardly doing anything. Alo had the shape of a male Hylian about my age, or maybe a year or two older. His body was the same deep green color of the sword's gem, made of some kind of metal. Smooth, well polished skin glinted in the sun. His face looked to be some kind of a mask, but part of me knew it wasn't. His eyes were far too symmetrical. They were a bright white that matched his hair, a completely solid mass on top of his head.

I recognized his clothes as belonging to my father. They would've been much too big for him, but evidently he shrunk them somehow, tailoring them to fit. Prissy bastard.

Hanging off of his belt was the sword, now sheathed in a nice scabbard of similar design.

He wasn't human, he had magical abilities of some sort, and he was armed. This was not looking good for me.

Alo noticed my sinking face. "See? You would have panicked."

"I won't excuse the kidnapping, but y-you might have a point there." I waited until Alo had turned away, starting to walk down the road, before I wiped my eyes. The tears kept coming back, despite my best efforts. A single sob crept out of my mouth.

I shook my head and took a long, deep breath. I wasn't scared of him. I couldn't afford to give him any more power over me.

I jogged up to match his pace, straightening my bag and staring forward. Alo, mercifully, didn't say anything, but I noticed the side of his mouth twitched. A smile, maybe. I wouldn't put it past him to get pleasure out of suffering.

The sun was already beginning to beat down on my neck as it climbed up the sky. Out here in the fields, there was little protection from it. I pushed up the sleeves of my shirt as I walked, blinking in the bright light. I could see Hyrule Castle still, but it didn't appear to be getting any closer any time soon.

Like any person with a lot of time on their hands, my mind began to wander. In some ways, it was pretty cool that there was a spirit sent just for me. Maybe I really _was _a hero or someone the gods felt was important enough to protect. I didn't particularly want to be bossed around by some green metal man, but it's not up to me to question their methods, I suppose.

My spirits rose a little, and the fogginess in my head started to clear. Yeah. That seemed likely. Not everyone has a special messenger sent to them. And Alo seemed really intent on bringing me to Princess Zeneya.

It didn't feel quite as glorious as I'd hoped, but… It was something, right? It had to be something. Or else I got abducted for no reason.

I frowned slightly to myself. "Hey, I…"

Alo turned his head slightly in acknowledgment.

"I never told you _my _name."

He paused for a moment. His thin eyebrows furrowed together. "Oh." His face returned to normal, and he looked calmly down his nose at me. "Well, what is it?"

"I'm Linia." I held his gaze with my own for the few seconds it took him to respond.

"It's nice to meet you, Linia." We just looked at each other for a moment, probably waiting to see who would back down first. At least, that's what _I_ was doing. Alo opened his mouth like he was about to say something.

I had a split second to see the blurry image of a projectile whizzing through the air and hitting Alo in the back of the neck. My feet fell out from underneath me and I was blown away as easily as a piece of paper, sprawling across the ground in a limp mess of arms and legs. My vision seemed to linger on where I was a few moments ago, and I struggled to pull myself up on my elbows and get my legs to function properly.

A loud crashing noise from right behind me sent me into a panic before I had any time to recover. I scrambled to my feet, halfway crawling back towards the road and tripping over my legs. My vision was lurching around and practically begging me to stop, but I made it back onto the dirt and managed to stumble to my feet.

Not much really went through my head here, other than a wild desperation to not get blown up again by any means necessary. I whipped around, only to be greeted by the drooling, smashed-in face of a Bokoblin, raising a wooden club above its head and preparing to strike. I shrieked and ducked out of the way, my hands hitting the ground again. It made a gurgling noise and came after me without a second's hesitation.

In a single second of rational thought, I curled up my fingers and flipped over, throwing a handful of coarse dirt straight into its wide, hungry eyes. Now it was the monster's turn to lose its footing, dropping the club and clawing at its face.

I dove forward, desperately grabbing a hold of the club and flailing it into the Bokoblin's legs. It was much heavier than it looked, so I wasn't able to get any kind of speed behind it. Apparently, though, I didn't need to. The monster hit the ground, caught off guard, and tried to get back up again.

Unfortunately for it, though, I was a bit quicker. I _really _didn't wanna die. With a grunt, I hefted the club over my shoulder and brought it down on the monster's piglike face in one motion. I closed my eyes a millisecond before impact, but I couldn't hide from the pained squeal being abruptly cut off by a fleshy THWACK.

I kept my eyes sealed shut until I heard the telltale sound of the monster's body disintegrating. Monsters could never truly be killed. Their spirits had such high concentrations of magic and hatred, built up over millennia, that they would never disappear, and would simply be resurrected into a new form. Their bodies were nothing more than fleshy husks, meant to serve a single purpose, and that was to harm innocent people.

At least, that's what I kept telling myself as I continued to back away. I'm sure I was trying to open my eyes, but my body decided it didn't want to deal with whatever I might have to see.

I wasn't sure what my plan was, moving backward like that. I'd just wander off the road. Instead, I opted to sink to my knees and point my face at the ground, taking deep breaths.

Everyone in Hyrule had had to deal with a Bokoblin or two before. This wasn't even the first time for me. Last time, though, was about three years ago, and Tifa and I had just run back into the safety of our homes while my father dealt with it. I watched them kill it from my bedroom window, but I was too far away to see anything particularly traumatizing. I didn't have to hear it, either.

Now, all I wanted to do was go back home. Call me weak all you want, nearly becoming scattered pieces of broken flesh rattles you somewhere really deep inside. It's the kind of fear that worms into your heart and makes your blood run cold. I couldn't be out here any longer, and Alo couldn't make me.

All I had to do was open my eyes, and walk out of here. I didn't even know where he _was. _Probably reduced to a bunch of scrap metal. I hoped so.

...I wanted to hope so.

Unfortunately, though, I was stuck on step one. Some invisible force was keeping my eyes shut as though wired that way.

I'm not sure how long I stayed that way. Mom would come and get me after a little while. This was all some kind of elaborate dream, and I'd wake up to kind words, and soup, and-

A pressure on my arm snapped me out of my spiral but didn't convince me to open my eyes.

A voice spoke to my right, very quietly. "Are you hurt?"

My stomach plummeted into the lowest reaches of my torso. I swallowed heavily and hugged myself even tighter. I was not going to have another breakdown. It just wasn't going to happen. It couldn't.

I collected myself, reigning in my mind and taking long, deep breaths. "I'm okay." I paused, taking another breath. "Are you?"

"Yes." There was a muffled noise of Alo sitting down next to me and taking his hand off my arm, staying a respectful distance away this time.

Now that all was said and done, I was starting to feel the effects of being directly caught in an explosion. The whole encounter had probably lasted about a minute and a half, but my guts were still deeply offended by the amount of stress I just put them through. Right on cue, my stomach let out a growl that sent sharp pains through my chest. Fortunately, though, that was the worst that had happened to me. I was two seconds away from my skull ending up like that Bokoblin, after all, and I had escaped with some cuts, bruises, and nausea. Pretty good for a professional fish hauler.

When Alo spoke again, his voice still carried an almost friendly gentleness. Or at least, as gentle as it could be with the whole ungodly pipe scraping inflection. "Do you want to move somewhere more comfortable so you can rest?"

I shook my head. "I don't need to rest. Just give me a minute." I needed more than a minute, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"Alright." Blissful silence for a moment. "You said your name is Linia?"

"Yeah." I finally untucked my head from my legs and rolled my shoulders around, while still keeping my eyes locked on the ground. I used to get these horrible headaches when I was younger, and it always helped me to stare at something that wasn't going to move. Security, I guess.

"It's a...pretty name." Finding the word 'pretty' seemed to be very difficult for him. He went quiet again, then came back with a less gentle, but not malicious, tone. "Suits you."

"Thanks," I mumbled in return, rubbing my aching arms. "What happened there, anyway?"

"It doesn't take long for monsters to pick up on a trail of magic." He stood over me and offered his hand. I pushed it away and slowly got up, focusing on every little detail of his words instead of focusing on the pain. "I'm sure they smelled me as soon as I was summoned."

"Huh." I took a shaky step forward. "So they hunted you down?"

"They hunted _you _down, not me. They can smell me, but I am not who they're after." Alo kept his pace very slow as I started to make my way down the road. My face flushed with embarrassment, and I gritted my teeth, picking up the pace as much as I could.

"Why are they after me?" I asked, a bit more sharply than intended.

"I don't know."

"You say that a lot."

"It's true."

I sighed, blinking away some of the currents winding about in my eyes. "I don't want to believe you, but I do."

Alo nodded in understanding and clasped his hands behind his back. He seemed undamaged besides a sizeable dent in his left arm, which brought to mind a lot of questions about how spirit's bodies operate, and even more questions about what they could withstand, all of which were too complicated for my frazzled mind to even begin to comprehend. He noticed me staring at it and lifted the arm. "It should heal on its own," he said reassuringly, almost more to himself.

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

He blinked, which still looked very unnaturally fluid. "Not particularly. It seems like it should, though. It's an odd feeling. I can't really describe it." The corner of his mouth turned down, and he let his arm drop to his side.

"Oh." I cocked my head to one side and rubbed a knot that was beginning to form on my skull. "That _is _pretty odd."

"It is." Alo reached over and gently patted my shoulder. I flinched but didn't immediately push him away. He retracted his hand. "I… perhaps I have been a bit harsh. I know you don't trust me, and you have no reason to. But these last few hours have been… strenuous for your mind. I may have underestimated the damage I could cause with my actions."

"Apologizing for real this time, huh?" I huffed, but I couldn't get the same anger from before to rise in my chest.

"Yes. My methods have been questionable, but I promise you, my intentions are pure." The aloofness still hadn't come back. Maybe he was a bit more shaken up than he let on. I felt a twinge of regret for shouting at him.

"Yeah, I get it." I looked over at him. "Let's try not to get blown up again, for one. The back of my dad's shirt is ruined. And… as long as you don't kidnap me again, I won't lash out at you. But we're not friends."

"I understand." He stopped talking after that, the conversation completed.

I meant it. We weren't friends, and I didn't exactly trust him. But he could fend for himself. There was no reason to be any more than allies. I just had to tolerate him long enough to get to Princess Zeneya, after all.

Then all of this would be over, and I could go back to my boring, soggy house, which I was starting to appreciate more and more by the second.


	3. Chapter 3

We reached the outskirts of Castle Town at about six or seven o'clock. The amount of prying eyes had greatly increased as we got closer, and so we had taken to the wilderness. So when I said that first sentence, what I really meant was we were crouched uncomfortably close to each other in a bush about a hundred yards from the front gates of Castle Town, trying to figure out how to do this without getting shot on sight.

My injuries probably weren't getting any favors by me walking across the entire field immediately after sustaining them, but the pain had been reduced to a dull, manageable throb after a while.

I had given Alo a spare set of gloves I carried in my bag. If he pulled his sleeves down as far as they would go, it covered his skin.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," I muttered to myself as I kept digging around. I was only half paying attention to what I was doing and focused mostly on being angry about how unfair all of this was.

"I've already apologized. Can we please move on to the matter at hand?" Alo's voice carried a hint of frustration. He peered over my shoulder, and I flinched away from him, tightening my hold on my bag.

"Back off." Alo moved away as far as much as he could without leaving the bush. I pulled out a very neatly rolled-up coat. Upon unfolding it, I could see pretty little designs stitched by hand into the deep blue fabric. They spiraled all the way up onto the hood, which was lined in white, fluffy cotton. I recognized it as my father's, like the rest of his clothes. It was something he saved for when he had to travel in the winter. I didn't remember packing it. "Did you put this in here?"

Alo blinked at it a few times, then responded very slowly. "I thought you might get cold."

"It's the middle of summer-" I cut myself off with a deep sigh and threw the coat at him.

I looked him up and down for a moment once he had slipped it on. It was almost comically large on him and threatened to completely slide off his shoulders. The sleeves left gaping holes around his arms, and it hung down a bit past his waist. Alo avoided my eyes the entire time as I worked, making adjustments and trying to hide the sword sticking out from underneath the coat. I snorted at his expense, then reached over and pulled the hood up over his head before moving back to admire my handiwork.

Right now, he looked like a terribly-disguised metal spirit, but even at this point in the evening, the hood was casting a deep shadow over most of his face. Given a little while, it would be enough to make him less viscerally disturbing.

"That's as good as it's gonna get," I offered, shrugging.

"I suppose so." He settled back down to peer through the leaves, still avoiding my face. He didn't waver at all in his crouch, balancing perfectly on the balls of his feet. I sat on the ground and drew in the dirt with a stick.

"So, say we make it into the castle without getting thrown into jail." I idly tossed aside an ant that was crawling across my artwork. "How do we know where this all-important princess is?"

"It should be easy. Magic attracts magic," Alo said.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Sacred power and whatnot." I tossed my stick aside and stretched, looking down at my lopsided dirt drawing of a house. I scuffed the toe of my boot on it. "You still haven't explained _why _I'm risking my life to find this girl."

"If you have a right to know, then so do I," He replied, his voice low. It really resonated, like a gong, when the demeaning high pitch was stripped away. I moved forward and crouched next to him, but as of yet he still didn't want to look at me. Unfortunately for him, he had made me curious.

"You don't _know?_" I spoke obnoxiously loud, right in his ear. He flinched.

"I do know." He subtly pulled the hood a little lower on his face, hoping I wouldn't notice. "I just...don't know why. I wasn't lying when I told you that before."

I snorted incredulously. It was odd to see such human gestures from something so far from this world. He was flustered, and he didn't want me to see for fear of being mocked. I had seen Tifa do something similar plenty of times before. I squashed the thoughts continuing in my head with a slight frown, but despite my efforts, a tiny part of my brain still defiantly whispered.

Maybe he was just as afraid as I was.

Ah, shut up, me. I'd known this guy for a day, and his only actions were to abduct me, talk down to me, and then expect me to risk life and limb for a goal neither of us understood.

I giggled quietly to myself. His ears pricked and he glanced at me with pupil-less eyes. I shot him a look like he had been imagining things. He went back to his lurking with a soft _tch_. My eyes drifted down to my hands. I hadn't eaten all day, and they were beginning to noticeably shake and twitch. This was, by far, one of the worst days I'd had in a long while, and I hadn't even gotten to the fun part.

Alo abruptly stood up, and I blinked at him. "It should be dark enough now."

I stood up as well, and tried to push him down with a hand on his shoulder. I wasn't able to really move him, but he seemed to reluctantly oblige. "Sit down. This place won't close up for the night until much later." I glanced at the gates, wide open as people still flooded in and out. Excitement began to bubble up in my chest. "You know what, though? Maybe I _can _return the sword."

"What? We talked about this, you can't just-"

"Shut up," I snapped at him. Surprisingly, he went silent. "Maybe all of this nonsense about sneaking in doesn't have to happen. The castle gates should still be open. We just have to walk inside, and I can show you to a guard or something. It's pretty hard to fake being made of metal."

"Does that mean I can take off this jacket?" He sounded almost excited.

"No, no." I grabbed the sleeve and dragged him to his feet. "You'll still freak out the general population."

I could almost see him deflate. I smiled to myself as I stepped out of the bush, scraping the sides of my pants against it. Alo followed not long after, stumbling a bit over the coat. I straightened my collar and tried my best to look like I hadn't been skulking about in the woods for the past half hour.

The nearest path wound down out of the trees and met with the main road a little ways away from the entrance, which gave us time to merge in with the people filing in, chattering amongst themselves with as much liveliness as a midday celebration. It was kind of odd, seeing that many people in one place- and we weren't even _inside _the town. Hylians of all shapes and sizes, carrying crates or barrels or weapons, some on horses, a few scattered Gerudo towering over the crowd. I even caught a glimpse of what looked like a boulder with legs, dimly lit in the light of torches and lanterns.

No one seemed to notice me and Alo. His face was well hidden in the flickering shadows, but I had an odd feeling that even if anyone did notice, they wouldn't care. It probably wouldn't be the strangest thing they'd seen all day, and they were so caught up in their own lives that they didn't really have the time to linger on something slightly off that could be easily dismissed as a trick of the eyes.

I was surrounded by more people than I'd ever seen before, and yet I felt even more alone than I did in that field with Alo this morning.

The guards at the gate seemed to function less as actual guards, and more as a funnel to direct traffic. We passed right through without so much as a glance in our direction, and once we were inside, people dispersed, heading in many different directions at once. I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

Even without being trapped in a stream of people, Castle Town still felt incredibly cramped. As opposed to the spaced out buildings of Deya, everything seemed to be packed together into walls, stretching up to at least three stories high, cutting off your view of whatever was past them. Some had signs hanging over their doors, others had balconies or staircases. Everything was illuminated by streetlights that didn't quite reach the upper floors and roofs.

"Where now?" I muttered to Alo. Still plenty of Hylian ears around.

"I haven't seen this place any more than you have," he whispered back. We walked close together, with me slightly ahead of him and trying to figure out how the streets of large, flat stones all connected, and which one would take me to Hyrule Castle.

So far, no luck. This place was a maze in its own right. A stray dog scampered past in front of me, ducking into an alley. I caught a flash of blood and matted grey fur. I shivered and halted a bit, inching closer to Alo. People passed by, but now that we had ventured deeper into the city they were becoming more and more scarce, the noises fading into the distance and the lights began to dim. The night's chill settled in once more.

"This is our best opportunity," Alo murmured in my ear. "Ask the guard for directions."

"Fine." I gritted my teeth, approaching a shadowy man standing at the corner. As I got closer, his mannequin head turned to me and his fingers tightened on his spear. Great. I never like guards much- whenever they were around, it meant extra work but with the threat of bodily harm. Despite myself, I could feel my throat tighten. "Sir, I'm...looking for Hyrule Castle."

"Why?" He spoke plainly, not wasting any words. Something to be said for that.

"I…" _Focus. _"I'm from Deya. I have orders from this spirit to speak with Princess Zeneya." Why was I so nervous? It's not like I couldn't prove it. As if on queue, Alo stepped forward and flipped down the hood. The guard stepped forward and looked at him for a moment. Apparently, he was able to see a lot better than I was, as he immediately moved back and nodded.

"I'll take you there. Follow me, please." Without another word, he turned and marched away.

I scurried to keep up. Alo followed not far behind, and I spread my hands at him behind the guards' back in a _what is this? _Kind of gesture that I didn't really stop to think about if he would understand.

He stared blankly at me in response, much like the occasional person we passed by as we made our way to a more open square of the town. Where we started. The guard took a much more efficient route, though, moving straight for the gates of the castle.

And a castle it was. Despite my general discomfort about the situation, no Hylian of good faith could ever deny the beauty of it. Our national landmark- the symbol of Hyrule for centuries. Even in the darkness, I could make out the shape- a twisting lower structure, built into the hill, that gradually became tall, elegant towers and plazas, appearing as giant fingers reaching into the night sky. I had formed such a clear picture of it in my head over the years, it was surreal to see it. I didn't get much time to admire it, though, as the guard continued through the gate without so much as a glance back at us.

Inside was just as beautiful as outside. He led us along a path of weathered stone that served as a walkway to the upper parts of the castle. It got harder and harder to see the further we went, and I was acutely aware of every tiny noise when we ducked into a hallway and started up a flight of stairs. The place was oddly empty, besides the occasional figure rushing past.

The Calamity was far, far in the past. But it was impossible to forget where it started when you really took a look at things. A lot of the archways were chipped or cracked, and the walls had the occasional faint scorch mark, covered by paint in an attempt to clean it up. The wounds went too deep, though. Kind of a shame.

We were let through what seemed like dozens of dark corridors, occasionally winding in and out of balconies. Despite what I wanted to admit, a pit of anxiety was slowly growing in my stomach. I'd been at this for less than a day, and I was already meeting the princess. What if it wasn't true? What if all of this was some kind of elaborate prank?

I knew it wasn't. I really did. But I didn't want to believe that. Alo put a cold hand on my shoulder, and I flinched. The guard was just out of earshot as we went up another set of stairs.

"Be brave," he muttered. It sounded more like a threat than a comfort, honestly.

I didn't do him the justice of replying. We came out of the stairwell into a slanted hallway, opening up into a room with a domed ceiling. Fancy bookshelves lined the walls, only partially filled with thick volumes. A deep blue carpet, matching the sheets of the bed in the corner, took up most of the floor space. A low couch and a few chairs sat near the fireplace, as well as a small glass table. It wasn't quite as fancy as I imagined. Reality continues to disappoint.

The guard stopped in front of us. "I've found them, your Majesty."

A girl stood up, turning to face us. She was so small, I hadn't seen her sitting on the couch. She should've been about fourteen, but she looked no older than eight. Intricate makeup couldn't cover up her sunken eyes and cheeks, or the bones of her hands, sticking out of her dress that seemed much too big for her. Her golden hair was pulled back behind her ears in a braid or something, but there wasn't enough of it for any substantial style. Princess Zeneya, in all her glory.

I instinctively bowed, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Alo do the same. I stared at my dirty boots and the marks they were leaving on the carpet while I waited for her to speak. When she did, it was very slow, almost forced.

"Welcome, hero." A pause, she took a breath. "Rise."

I looked up, meeting her sapphire eyes. Her jaw was set, expression grim. It didn't feel much like a welcome. "I, um...thank you, your Majesty."

"Of course." She immediately sat back down, gesturing to the other two chairs. I shuffled across the room and took my seat. My green shadow followed.

I glanced over at the guard. He stared me down for a moment, then turned on his heel and left. They trusted me alone with the princess.

"I hope you made it here without too much trouble," she said politely, picking up a small, shining cup of tea. "Clearly, your guide made it to you."

"My...yes, ma'am. He did." It felt odd talking to a kid like this. Despite her size, she had an air of quiet authority about her. Part of the job, I guess.

"Good. I saw in my dreams, you drawing the blade in the sacred forest." She nodded to herself. "These are good signs."

"Er-" Her eyes snapped unnervingly as soon as I made a noise. I cleared my throat. "Someone in Deya, my hometown, found him in the lake. I was sent to get the blade appraised here in Castle Town."

Her breath hitched for a moment, but her face never moved. "Ah. Well, you're here, and that's what matters."

"Yes, your majesty." I thought for a moment, suddenly very aware of how words sounded coming out of my mouth. Then again, I didnt want to seem _too_ formal, she might think I'm hiding something. Right? Or is casual speaking worse?

"The sword is meant for you, Linia. It's yours to wield." She smiled, but it didnt reach her eyes. "It was foretold that it would find the Hero of Courage, tasked with uniting the Triforce once again. The guide you see here was placed by Farore herself." Princess Zeneya gestured at Alo. I hated the way she spat out her words like they tasted foul. I hated the way she folded unnaturally long fingered together in her lap.

My instincts are rarely wrong, and here all kinds of alarm bells were going off. I wanted to look to Alo, but the princess kept her eyes trained on me so it was impossible to move mine away. "That's good to know, ma'am."

I'd waited so long to hear words like this out of the princess's mouth. I'd thought long and hard about it for years. What I'd say, what I'd do. But now that it was actually happening, I really didn't want to think about it. All the logistics briefly skimmed through my head, but I abandoned the thoughts when it got too hard. I didn't trust the princess, but was that just because she didn't fit the fantasy I'd set up for myself?

"So...does this mean I have to go find the third piece of the Triforce? Power, I mean." I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Since we...apparently have two here."

Where was the triumph? The feeling of togetherness I was supposed to have with her? Stories told of the bond between Link and Zelda in ages past. It was eternal, unfettered by time and space. But this girl felt like a stranger. Not even a friendly stranger, either.

"Your job is to stay here, and stay safe." Princess Zeneya finally looked away, at her own lap, and I was able to sneak a glance at Alo. As usual, I couldn't read his expression, but his jaw was tense, set forward, sticking out of the hood's opening. It wasn't my imagination. "We're working on locating the Triforce of Power as we speak."

"Oh. I...cant go home, then?"

"No. We'll send a message to your guardians to let them know we're holding you at the castle."

Surely that was illegal. I felt tears spring to my eyes and I quickly blinked them away.

These were the people who make the laws.

"You can't hold me here, I didn't do anything wrong!" I bit my lip and stopped myself from rising out of my chair. She blinked over the rim of her cup at me.

"Yes, I can. It's for the greater good." Her first emotion- slight impatience. "There are thousands of lives at stake, and you're worried about not seeing your parents? Honestly."

I blinked again, balling my hands into fists. "It sure would help if I knew what the greater good _was!"_

"You don't need to yet." She stood up, her long robes brushing against the floor. "You're proving my point, resisting."

Footsteps came up behind me. It didn't take a genius to realize what was going on. "Wait, this isn't right, you cant-"

Someone put a hand on my shoulder, and everything was ripped out from beneath me.


	4. Chapter 4

Yet again, I woke up someplace different. I wasn't ever really going to get used to this. My first sensation this time was of sharp objects, digging into me like little needles. I discovered, as I peeled my eyes open, that it was straw. I sat up, and grimaced, waiting for the pain from my bruises to hit. None came.

I went to lift up the shapeless burlap sacks that now served as my clothes and inspect them, it finally passed through my head that my hands were shackled, and I was sitting on my knees in a prison cell.

My mind started to clear- I felt very rested. Whatever they'd done to me, it was humane. The room wasn't too terrible either- iron bars and stone walls, a bed of straw with a wool blanket, a small wooden table and a single chair. I had even been provided a plate, with a piece of bread and a bit of cheese. I didn't have a lot of prisons to compare it to, but it didn't seem overly horrific, considering what I'd heard about Hyrule Castle's dungeon.

Sweet gods, I was in Hyrule Castle's dungeon.

The realization hit me hard enough that I physically flinched. I wanted to cry, to scream, to throw things. This wasnt fair, they couldn't put me down here and tell me family that everything was fine. They couldn't lie to innocent people. Or lock up innocent people.

But all I could do was sit quietly and stare at my hands. The chain was long enough that I could make it to the table and all around the floorspace, but not out of the gate. The shackles were almost comically small to fit around my wrist in comparison to it- I could barely feel them, but the chain was deadweight. Made for monsters, probably.

They had also taken my hair down, and I had to blow it out of my face to look out at the hallway. I couldn't see any guards from my angle, but I could see the stone path leading down between the cells, what looked like a massive lever, and the room across from me.

The only other cell that I could see looked empty, but after a moment I spotted the large shape of a Lizalfos, huddled against the ground. Its scales had shifted perfectly to match the floor, and all I could see of it was a pair of large eyes on either side of its head that moved around separately from each other. I couldn't spot anything unique about it that it would land it a spot in here, instead of just getting killed like other monsters. Its unblinking gaze landed on me, and I quickly looked away.

Where was Alo's cell, then? I scootched forward and craned my neck to see. Nothing. He probably wouldn't be anywhere close to me, but it was worth checking.

I wouldn't be able to survive this for long. I'd lose my mind, being trapped in such a tiny space. I jangled the chains for a minute, then leaned against the wall and sighed heavily. I wasn't a criminal, but I would be if I tried anything in here.

I finally gave in and picked up the bread, gnawing on it. It was stale, of course. Maybe yesterday's meal. Did they give out daily meals? Maybe weekly, then. Gods, I can't survive on one meal for a week. This is not gonna happen. I flopped onto my mattress and flailed around, as though freeing my legs to the air would help me feel less trapped.

The walls seemed to be made of the same kind of stone as everything else, but this was much more wind-down, with long cracks running along most of the grey pieces. I'm no mason, but that didn't seem like a very good sign. Lack of upkeep, I guess. It was the _prison. _For _evil people _who didn't deserve any better. Not horribly misled kids.

I needed to find Alo so I could punch him in his face for getting me into this. I was planning on going _home _tonight, but now I don't know if I ever would. I didn't even know if there would be a home to go back to in the future.

What I did notice was the sound of non-clawed footsteps coming down the hall. I sat up immediately and darted over towards the front of my cell, peering out to try and get a look. A guard, maybe?

No, definitely not a guard. It was just a girl, maybe my age. Her clothes were beautiful, but they looked to be some sort of uniform. She had piercing blue eyes that I could see even as she stepped underneath the gate, opened for her by the guards at the entrance. Her brown hair had an odd dusty tone, and it lightly bounced around her shoulders. She was pretty, that's for sure. But she also carried a book and quill, which struck me as odd. She made eye contact with me, and my breath faltered.

She blinked a few times, then slowly, agonizingly slowly, made her way to my cell. "Who are you?"

"Linia, I'm-" My voice broke as well. Jeez, she wasn't _that _pretty, right? "I'm not supposed to be here."

"Um, okay," she said, and stepped back, starting to turn.

"Wait!" I called, desperate. She looked over her shoulder at me. "I need… I need your hand. Just for a moment. Please." Why did I need her hand? What was I talking about? She frowned and took another step back, holding her book to her chest.

"Please, I'm... I don't have anything, I can't hurt you." I held out my hands.

"I...okay?" She kneeled in front of the cell and set her book down. Definitely not any type of guard or official. They would've told me to screw off and kept moving.

My thoughts were slurred, slow. She reached through the bars, and I clasped her hand in both of mine the moment it was near enough. She flinched, but didn't pull hers away. Her hand was small, delicate. Her fingers twitched against my palm.

There was a moment of silence, then a shock went through me. It hurt, too. She yelped and let go of my hands, waving hers back and forth like it was on fire. After a moment, I could see why. My palms where we had touched were smoking. I shrieked and tried to beat them on the stone floor, which added more pain and did nothing for the smoke.

I yelled something along the lines of "putitoutputitout" before I realized that, one, the guards couldn't hear me behind the monster-proof gates, and two, the smoke had already stopped.

I stared down at my hands in shock. On my palms, somehow, were two birthmarks. They stretched and folded with my skin as though they'd always been there. Triforces. The symbol of Hyrule. Maybe Alo wasn't making this up after all. I looked up at Kathryn.

Kathryn?

She was blinking at the back of her hand. From what I could see, the same thing had happened to her. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. Imagine that.

They had the other hero, alright. But it wasn't their beloved princess. What a scandal! Imagine if that got out to the rest of Hyrule. I looked up, grinning, and expected something similar. Instead, I got a horrified, pale expression. She looked like she was going to vomit.

"What did you do to me?" She whispered.

"I didn't do anything, don't you know?" I cocked my head at her.

"Know what? What kind of magic is this?"

I went quiet. A budding idea was growing in the back of my mind. I knew when it came out, I'd never be able to go back. It was like pointing a sword at someone for the first time- it's such a radical change in your story, even if you don't realize it are the time.

"Kathryn? Is your name Kathryn?" I stood up as much as I could, hunching over the table and pressing my hands to it.

"That's...yes." She glanced behind her. I'd never get this chance again.

"Listen to me. There's something going on that's really, really big. Like, end of the world type stuff I think. I need your help. Please." I wasn't faking the desperation creeping into my voice. Her expression flickered to interest for a moment, and I kept on it. "These marks are all the proof I have right now. I don't know what's going on, but I know I have to get out of here, or people will die. I can show you more if you help me get out of here."

"Wh-who are you?" She looked down at her hand.

"I'm Linia, of Deya. Like I told you. I'm not your enemy."

"I'll...I'm going to need some time to think about this." She took a step back. I could see the whites of her eyes. "Um, goodbye."

Before I could interrupt her, she turned on her heel and shot down the hallway. The gate opened for her, and I watched her dress disappear behind it. She was gone.

"Wait-"

The gate slammed shut, and with it, my chances. I laid on my back, suddenly void of all energy and purpose, and drifted into sleep.

It wasn't a very _good _sleep. My dreams were fairly average, images of my home and Tifa and Alo. My parents. I missed them, but if they found out I had been thrown in Hyrule Castle's prison, I doubt they'd be missing me.

Something was in them, though. Something I hadn't seen before. I could never quite see it, but I could _feel _it. Lurking around the corners. Watching me. Probably my anxiety about the whole situation manifesting itself, but… somehow it felt different. _Other. _

I sat straight up in my straw bed, snapped back to reality as someone tapped on the bars of my cell. Kathryn. The wave of ecstasy that hit me was impressive as I scrambled towards her, half-gasping. "You came back!"

"I was going to study monster behaviors," She said dryly. "But I suppose insane Hylians will do the trick."

"I'm not insane!" I sputtered.

"Sure." She looked down her nose at me. I sucked in a quiet breath. So she was a bit snooty. We could work on it.

"I'm just… I really need your help, like I said." I rested my forehead against the bars, sighing at the floor. "I have a...companion. He's green. Hard to miss. If you could find him, he could tell you everything." Hopefully he could, anyways. Hopefully I was right, and I wasn't just crazy.

"You mean the spirit you came here with?" She had been listening. I looked up, and her eyes contained a bit less malice now. "He's in with the Sheikah, in the lower dungeon."

"In the...what?"

"Its where they keep greater monsters, demons, and whatnot. Anything magical that might pose a threat." She tossed her hair over her shoulder. I frowned. No wonder he hadn't found some way to contact me. I'd heard rumors about the Sheikah's dungeon. The kind of twisted things that happened, reprehensible even when happening to monsters. And Alo….he was no Lynel, I could tell that much. He might not last long down there, and then I'd be out of luck.

"Please, this is...I hate to ask this of you, Kathryn. But I have to. If we don't get him out of there, then both of us are done for." I gripped the bars, pleading like a child. Not a very proud moment.

"I'll tell you what." She kneeled in front of me, balanced precariously on her heels. She was dressed up a bit more today. "This-" she held up her hand, the one with the Triforce- "Is very real. And it essentially paints a target on my back. I believe you, but I also believe that we're both going to end up here if one of us doesn't act quickly." She sighed. "And that has to be me." She tugged up her sleeve to cover the mark.

"Really? You-"

"Don't get me wrong, I still think you're crazy about the end of the world." Kathryn cut me off. "I'm doing this for myself. If I find your friend, you have to swear you'll take me with you." Her face softened a bit. "I can't stay here anymore, working for her."

"Then you have to find him." I looked as sympathetic as I could. "I swear on this mark that I'll take you with me. But we're not going anywhere without Alo."

"You have a deal, then." She stood up, dress swishing around her ankles. "I'll talk to you once I find anything out. They think I'm doing a study, they'll let me through." Kathryn shot me one last look, then disappeared the way she came.

I looked down at my hands. They were shaking. From excitement or worry, I'd never know.


	5. Chapter 5

I couldn't believe I was doing this, but I certainly wasn't doing it for _her_.

I walked quickly through the halls, making my way back to my study, fueled by a fit of silent anger.

At least this Linia wasn't lying to me. They were. And they had been forever, I was just too stupid to realize it. Stupid. Stupid. I threw open the door to my study and slammed it shut behind me, sitting down heavily at my desk and cradling my face in my hands.

I always fancied myself something of a scientist. I'd grown up in the library, writing study after study on things I'd never seen, only read about. Working for someone I'd never seen, only heard about. Eventually, they gave me my very own study. I'd been ecstatic, I remember. A place to call my own. No more sleeping in the barracks with the soldiers.

But it all made sense now. I looked at the discoloration of my skin. It probably had always been there, underneath. Hers and mine. And to think, I had never noticed the signs, all these years.

I wanted to get up and throw my books around, tear open my papers. I wanted to set it all ablaze and throw it into the river looming below my window. I couldn't. Not right now, anyway.

My brain churned. There was no way they'd let that spirit out. I'd seen him when they came in. He was a lesser one, but as she said, he was green. The mark of Farore. He'd been specifically made by her, put into this world by her hand. That was no accident, it meant she had to be the one.

I believed it, too. She looked the part. Her blonde hair, even when ratty, looked as golden as the hero's. Blonde hair was very rare in Hyrule, save for the royal bloodline. And even theirs did not possess that shiny quality. More than that, though, her eyes had defiance behind them, one I'm sure she wasn't aware of. If I was going to get out of here, I did need her and her spirit.

But that's where the problem started. I'd never been able to get through to the princess to get him out, and I didn't have any connections that high up. Trying to sneak in would be suicide, and I couldn't afford to die anymore. I stood up, pacing around my room. There had to be _someone _that would be willing to help me.

Only one name came to mind as I pushed open the door. Gloame. The general's wife. She wouldn't be able to help me, even if she wanted to, but General Shadra oversees the prison. She might know what had been done with the spirit.

I made my way downstairs, to the main level. I almost ran into someone, stumbling backward. Gods, Kathryn. I was a scholar, not a little girl. I needed to calm down.

I bowed politely. "My apologies, sir, I was in a hurry."

"It's okay," replied a very familiar voice. I choked on my spit as I slowly looked up. There's a face I tried not to think of.

"My prince," I said through gritted teeth. He smiled infuriatingly calmly at me. "Can I help you, my lord?"

"I'm alright. I, erm...I did need to talk to you."

"Of course, my lord. What is it?" I tugged my sleeve down further. I wore the longest dress I had, but it wasn't quite enough.

"In private." Prince Leonus looked at me with his black eyes, and I felt my cheeks heat up. It felt like he was seeing way too much. I mean, he already had, but that's beside the point.

"Yes, sir." Oh, great. I wondered if he'd hired someone to kill me. Or maybe he was just going to torture me to get rid of the evidence. He had to do _something, _he couldn't just let it stand. Then again, he was Princess Zeneya's betrothed, he could do whatever he wanted. I ground my teeth as he lead me away, to the closest room- an empty study.

Seeing a place so similar to my own was somewhat comforting, except for when he closed and bolted the door behind us. Out of courteousness, I lit a fire in my hand to light up the room. It was mostly so I could properly see his face and judge his intention. Castles are dark without windows.

Prince Leonus, or Leo. A boy from a neighboring royal family- Old Hyrule, as it was nicknamed, rested beyond the borders of our government's land. It was much smaller and less powerful, so they'd undoubtedly sent the pair- Leo and his sister, Scarlett- to cozy up to the family along with marrying into it. It was a clever move, sending young, pretty heirs as opposed to old moldy senators. That was until he met me. But that's a story for another day.

Leo's shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, and my mind begged me to reach out and fix it, knowing that was a bad idea. He was wearing noble clothing, but he wasn't particularly dressed up. He could've been mistaken for a passerby- his black hair, black eyes, and freckle-spotted pale face were nothing special by Hylian standards. The only thing that set him apart was his ears- they ended in a rounded shape as opposed to a tip, like mine. That was the norm in Old Hyrule. An odd genetic trait, but not one worth studying. Just a difference between human races, like the Gerudo or the Sheikah.

"What did you need, my lord?"

"Your hand. I saw it yesterday."

I winced, and my heartbeat picked up. How could he possibly have noticed it? I went straight from the dungeon to my room yesterday. He must have seen me when I didn't see him. If I burnt up his face, I could put him out of commission and call it a freak accident….

He held up his hands, he noticed the direction my train of thought was headed. "Wait, wait. I'm not angry at you. I just wanted to talk."

"Spit it out, then." My nobility voice was gone. I was a cat backed into a corner at this point, and it was _not _a nice feeling. Now it was his turn to wince and take a step back, almost into the wall. In terms of magic, he was completely outmatched. I would lose terribly if he decided to physically attack me, though.

"Kathryn, please. Calm down. I want to help you." He spoke as smoothly as possible like I was a wild animal he was about to put down. There was a bit of genuine emotion beneath it, though. Carefully layered. He was quite the tactician.

"Why do you want to help me? I hold something that could bring you off your nice comfy pedestal." I knew that I was being aggressive, but I didn't trust him not to make any sudden moves towards me. Bad things had happened to those chosen by the goddesses before, and they would likely happen again.

"Because I know what you are. I've...suspected it for a while," He said, still calm.

"Then what am I?"

"You're Nayru's chosen hero. Destined to kill the Fragment of Ignorance. Restore the bond between races. That mark proves it. And you only could've gotten it from direct contact with Farore's chosen." He paused. "So who is he? Is he here?"

"She's in the dungeon," I spat. "Your princess decided to lock her up. She's too afraid of anyone realizing she doesn't have the Triforce anymore. She thinks she'll lose her place on the throne."

"She doesn't have the…" He breathed, sitting down in one of the two chairs. The room was mostly empty, other than the desk, chairs, and one bare bookshelf. It's how mine started. I had to purchase everything else myself. "Well. That would explain a lot of things. You never answered my question, though. Who's Farore's chosen."

"Some fishing girl, from Deya. Linia." I waved my hand dismissively. I felt a small pang of remorse as I spoke. "Who she is doesn't matter. It's what she's going to do. And she can't do it if she's stuck in the dungeon." I squinted at him. "How do _you _know all this, anyway?"

"It's a prophecy." He shrugged. "I just didn't think it was true."

"They never do, until it's too late. Happened to the last hero." I folded my arms across my chest. "Since you know so much, tell me. Does that mean Din has a hero, too?"

"I think so. Look, these are just paranoid stories about the end of the world, there's no guarantee that they're true. What _is _true is that mark. No one's had that for hundreds of years. It means you're meant for _something_, good or bad." He held my hand in both of his, inspecting the darkened skin. I wanted to pull it away, but something stopped me. Gloame might just turn me in to her spouse. Leo could be just what I needed. Now all I had to do was play along.

"If you think all this, then you have to help me, right?" I looked up at him, finally meeting his eyes. He blinked and looked away immediately.

"No, I never… said that. All I'm saying is that…"

"What are you saying? I'm trapped here, as much as Linia. And her companion, the guide that could get us through all this. None of your grand prophecy will ever come true if the end of the world happens while we're both trapped here. I need your help, Leo." I squeezed one of his hands. "If this doesn't happen tonight, it never will. The princess will find out."

He took a deep breath. "You're… asking me to possibly forfeit my country's role in this government."

"Not if you use your head. No one has to find out. Blame it on someone dispensable, and all of it goes away." I was growing more desperate as I spoke. It was all true, I needed this, right now.

"I can cause a distraction tonight," he said after a long moment. "It'll be harmless, but it'll draw the majority of the guards away from the lower dungeon. That's where your companion will be held if I know anything about the general."

My heart fluttered. I'd never think that it would work. Now I was even more suspicious. Why did he agree so quickly? Did he have some sort of ulterior motive? "Leo, I…" I tried to think of something intelligent to say. We'd been holding hands for a while now. "Thank you."

"You'll need this." He reached into his bag and pulled out a folded up hat. It was the kind you'd find on a farmer, essentially looking like a potato skin. But as soon as I laid my hands on it, slightly confused, I could feel the power coursing through it, like veins around a beating heart. "When you're in there, put it on. That's all I can say, alright? Nine o'clock tonight. Be ready."

I nodded slowly and put the hat away. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I don't want the world to end." Now it was his turn to squeeze my hand. "There are some people I'd prefer not to see as corpses." He smiled briefly at me, then unbolted the door and left. I watched him walk away nonchalantly, heading upstairs.

He'd been bluffing. He really did believe it. I reached into my bag and gingerly touched the cap. Of course. Leo was known for his illusion magic. This couldn't have gone any better. Now the hard part was carrying it out.

I paced around my room at about 8:30, rehearsing my plan over in my head. I hadn't told Linia, I didn't trust her not to run her mouth or something. Plus, this way she'd be wide awake when I showed up, anxious. I'm sure she knew as well as I did the limited time frame we were operating on. Normally, it'd take weeks to plan something like this. But all I had was those few crucial hours.

I tried to steady my breathing, wringing my hands and glancing around. I'll admit it. It was a little nerve-wracking. I was working off of a vague prayer, given to me by a prince from another country. A complete outsider and my life was in his hands.

But to think, if this _did _work, what happened with him would've been responsible for Hyrule's downfall or success. Insane, how these things worked sometimes.

The seconds ticked by, and I tapped my boots on the floor. I'd changed into the most civilian-looking clothes I could find, but unfortunately, I was still stuck with a skirt. The dress code in Hyrule Castle was pretty annoying.

...speaking of that. I took a moment to look around at my collection, books and scrolls gathered by adventurers and delivered to me through the years. I'd been so caught up in what everyone else might lose, I hadn't even thought about what _I _might lose.

I'd been here since I was a baby, delivered to the arms of Gloame after my parent's deaths. I'd grown up behind these walls. They were home to me, I guess, even if it was a home that confined everything about who you are. Turned you into exactly what you were supposed to be. For me, it was a scientist, once I'd proven I was smart enough. So that was what I did. Waddled, then walked, through the library. Gathered my collection. Waited for the other elderly librarians to pass away, one by one, until I was the last.

They'd be losing their head scholar, but that's probably not why they wanted me here in the first place. My parents probably weren't brave adventurers who died searching for a precious relic. I'd probably been lied to this whole time, by everyone. Gloame. The other librarians, that I'd considered my friends. All of it had been one big lie to hide what they were afraid of.

I took a deep breath, keeping the blue fire from sparking to my fingertips. That didn't matter now. None of it did. I was meant for something. And maybe Leo's prophecy was right. But even if it wasn't, I was chosen above everybody else in this stupid castle, and they were afraid of it. Of course, he was the only one to help me, he wasn't in on the sick lifelong joke. How long would they have kept me here? Forever? Or would they have waited and sucked the power out of me once I became useful?

Well, it wouldn't happen anymore. I was me now. And whatever I went through after this night, it would be worth it. This little act of defiance proved it, and they could never take that away.

A noise sounded outside. A battle horn, long and deep. Guttural. That was my cue. I took one last look around my room, shoved a book into my bag, then took off, my feet feeling oddly flat in my boots.

It wasn't hard to dart around the guards flooding outside. Someone was standing up on a tower, screaming orders. I dodged spears and shields, drawn swords. There would definitely be trouble if they found out who was behind all this.

Like I thought, the dungeon's gate was unattended, but closed. Footsteps thundered around me, but I was able to focus enough power to lift it slightly, just long enough for me to crawl on my hands and knees through it. I felt mud splash onto my shirt and grimaced.

I moved silently through the dungeon, pulling the hat on. Instantly, I felt it was over me like a cool waterfall. When I stopped in front of Linia's cell, she was peering around frantically, nudging at a small crack in the wall. She'd had the same idea as me.

She didn't have what I had at my side, though. I leveled my body weight in front of the bars. Several of the monsters were roaring and pounding at the walls in a cacophony, but I had to close my eyes and block it out. I made my hand into a knife shape, pointing it at the bars. Then, in a smooth motion, I slowly cut through them. Something invisible and very hot went straight through them, causing them to melt and collapse in on themselves like candle wax. The metal immediately cooled, and I stepped through, pulling the hat off. Linia yelped loudly as I kneeled in front of her without a word and performed the same, though less hot, on her shackles and pulled her to her feet.

"What-" She said, looking around me as though searching for some powerful wizard. "Did you-?"

"Put these on," I replied, pulling a pair of pants, a shirt, and simple shoes out of my bag. It wasn't much, but with the cloak I'd brought, it should cover her hair and face well enough. I turned away and listened to the hasty noises of fabric rustling. When I turned around again, she was dressed. Impressive, but that didn't seem like a skill one would learn in a fishing village. She had a hero's blood, alright.

"What's the plan?" She asked, bouncing slightly on her heels. I noticed her shoulders were fairly tense, where mine were relaxed. We were both nervous, I was just much better at hiding it.

"You and I are going to save that spirit." I couldn't help but grin. There's a certain sense of power that comes from other's confusion. She brightened up a bit, and I threw the cloak at her. "Make sure that covers your face."

Linia quickly tied it on and pulled the cloak over her head. "Lead the way, Kathryn." I could _feel _her smiling underneath it, so I quickly wiped mine away and turned on my heel, leading us through the dungeon, the opposite way that I came from.

As we went on, I brought fire to my hand once more. Linia mockingly "oohed," and I shot her a glare over my shoulder. Her energy quickly faded, though, as I led her into the deeper parts of the dungeon. Without guards, it was incredibly quiet, save for the soft panting and clacking of monsters, seething with hatred and wishing for escape. The further you went, the worse they became. We passed something writhing in a cage like a snake, with what looked like six or seven arms oozing out of it. I flinched unconsciously towards Linia.

The lower dungeon wasn't marked. There was nothing to indicate it, beyond a sudden brightness of blue Sheikah lights, running like veins through the ceiling and walls. We made our way down a staircase, and I paused when it opened up into a massive chamber, seemingly much too large to fit underneath the castle.

The whole place was constructed of odd dark grey material. It was empty, save for when you looked up. I learned this when I made the mistake of doing so.

I let out a rather humiliating whimper at the dozens of cages, suspended from the ceiling. It looked like...some sort of sick gallows, misshapen creatures reaching for us from above, hidden behind bars of thick, glowing steel. Some screamed some had no mouths. Some gnawed on their prisons, some simply stared numbly at us. There were at least three dozen of them, spaced five to ten feet apart. There was no give at all on the chains, no matter how much whatever was inside slammed around. All the cages hung eerily still. Enchanted.

"Sweet goddesses," Linia whispered.

"We have to find your companion," I muttered, tugging on her sleeve. "Start looking."

"I…" Her face scrunched up like she was in pain. She blinked at the floor and ran a hand through her hair, clutching it. "I hear him. He's...hurting?" She looked at me with wide eyes, like I might have the answer. There was panic behind them. "He's...somewhere else. He's not here." She let her hand drop to her side.

My eyes swept around the room. The only other object in the room was a door, sealed by pulsing blue runes. I made my way over to it and put my hand against it. No wonder this place hardly needed guards. There was no way you'd be able to get through it with Hylian magic. I stepped back, shaking the slight sting from my hand.

Linia stepped up beside me and numbly rubbed her eyes. "He's really tugging on me. You….you need the sword. The woman has it, she…" She blinked, and the fog over her eyes faded. "He stopped."

"We need the sword? What does that mean?" I shook her shoulder, and she looked at me with a somewhat dumb expression that I'd come to expect from her.

"His sword," she said flatly. "The one he's connected to. Someone took it away from him, he won't last long without it. He's dying." She took a shaky breath and crossed her arms. Trying to cover it up.

"Well, if he's important enough that they grew a new room for him, then the only one who would have it is General Shadra." I chewed on my lip, glancing at the staircase. So far, we were still alone. Leo must have caused a fairly impressive distraction. I owe him one for this.

"Where do we find her?" Her voice still had that flat quality to it, but I could tell it was her way of hiding her panic. Badly. For whatever reason, this companion of hers was more than just a logical necessity. Damn my womanly heart, I'll begrudgingly admit that I wanted to help her more now.

"Her room is up on the top story, but we'll need her office." I tapped my fingers on my leg. "Which is right here in the dungeon. I might be able to break the lock with magic, but we'll never be able to get it from her."

"Then we'll use force," Linia offered, starting to walk away. I jogged to catch up, leading the way back to the staircase. I kept my eyes trained forward, avoiding the snarling cages, as I laughed dryly.

"Are you kidding me? She's the _general. _She'll skin us and hang us on her wall." I rubbed my arms. The lower levels had a real chill, especially at night. I should've made her wear the skirt.

"What other choice do we have? We need to try." The monotone had become steely. She was going to do this no matter what, and there was nothing I could do to stop her. I gritted my teeth. She reminded me too much of him. "I need that sword back."

"Fine," I grumbled. "This is a suicide mission."

"It's not a suicide mission. This is about way more than just us, and hopefully, she'll get that." Linia almost walked right past a subtle door, right between the cages, but I pulled her arm to stop her. There was nothing special about it, it was just a regular door. The few times I'd been down here, it had been a bit odd to see an illustrious general, walking nobly down the hall in a dank dungeon to a dusty door.

I pushed on it, and it swung open easily.

We were definitely dead.


End file.
